Turquoise chairs from Target

Aren't they a pretty color?  Vintage inspired folding chairs !
I painted the small table years ago ( to go with another patio ) now I'm wondering if black is ok? )

12.99 each here in Canada - which probably means they're a dollar in the States....................

We've been digging out weeds from the brick work for days.................SO DON'T LOOK AT THAT, OK? ( would I sound like a spoiled brat if I told you I don't like the color of the brick they chose ? )
Get a life Suzan - really - just get a life.

I was missing the chairs for that little table ( think I gave them away ages ago ) so when I saw these ( only 2 of them left ) I jumped all over them :)

They sort of tie in with the 2 I painted last week (  HERE )

I love the cut out detail on them

Suzan says - I hope they rust up sitting outside
John says - Excuse me?
Suzan says - I want them to get a little rust on them - turquoise and rust are so perfect together
John says - That's the most ridiculous thing you've said this week

I noticed last night he folded them up and put them away - I ran out a little later and put them back - and prayed for rain.................it didn't.

Want to see the difference a week or 2 can make?

BEFORE

Do you see that white chair in the background?

John says - Did you tell everyone what I scored - or just the things you do ?
Suzan says - You really want me to tell them?
John says - Yes, I do, why should you get all the credit.................
John says - Tell them mine are more practical
John says - Tell them mine won't rust
Suzan says - Relax mister..........they're okay - but mine are pretty
John says - MINE are functional

John went out to pick up the paper on the weekend and passed by a garage sale and bought 5 of those chairs for 25.00 - 5.00 each -  he LOVES them because they recline all the way back

Soda's seat matches everything too don't you know?

There's a little window in one of the bedroom's upstairs - and every single morning I run to it to see how the pool is doing ( from a bird's eye view )

Then I run downstairs - put the kettle on - and run outside ( like a kid on Christmas morning, seriously ) 

If you're looking for me I'll be sitting here.

and gazing at this

 which is so close to being done I can taste it ( but I won't because it would taste like chlorine ) 

I've only ever had above ground pools - this seems so luxurious to me ( with a house that's literally falling apart in the background LMHO ) but if I sit at a certain angle and concentrate really hard - than this is all I see - not bad for a break in reno's, right?

Ok everyone - get to Target - there are chairs with your name on them !!!
And I know you must be sick of seeing my outside by now - so I promise - cross my heart and hope to die that I will have a makeover on Thursday...................and I'm going to look for the most special of special
IWLTW's tomorrow


I'll be at these parties !!!
The DIY Dreamer                                    Savvy Southern Style                              DIY by Design
Adorned from Above                               From my front porch to yours                 French Country Cottage
Redoux Interiors                                      The Shabby Art Boutique                       One More Time Events
Life on Lakeshore Drive                          I Should be Mopping the Floor               Uncommon Design
Under the Table & Dreaming           Betweeen Naps on the Porch                  Sand & Sisal
Stone Gable ( the Scoop )                       A Stroll Thru Life                                   An Extraordinary Day
Kathe with an E                                      Knick of Time                                        Homestories A to Z

Thank you Tree................

THERE'S A TREE OUTSIDE MY BEDROOM WINDOW

NOTHING SPECIAL REALLY

JUST A TREE

But I watch daily as it starts to bud - and I think how beautiful it will be when it's in all it's full glory - we'll have a dappled curtain of privacy created by nature and I'm grateful.
I feel the breeze from the rustling leaves in the evening and I think how perfect a spot this tree was
planted in - it'll allow breezes into the bedroom on hot summer nights and I'm grateful.
I look down as I make my bed - noticing the shade it creates by the side of the house - outside the backyard and I make plans to create a secret garden and I'm grateful.

Each morning it seems to be a little more full and as slow as the process may seem at times it happens rather quickly - one day you hear your better half excitedly shouting

" Sue - Sue - come quickly - you won't believe this "

And you grab your camera - ( because you're a blogger and well, that's just what blogger's do )

And you stand in awe - so silently that you can almost hear this beauty blossoming - and marvel that THIS belongs to you - this magnificent gift - this totally unexpected magnificent gift and all of a sudden you know - you just know - that as much as you've been complaining about this house and how you've taken on more than you can chew and how the renovations are maybe just a little more than you bargained for and all of the nasty surprises that come with buying an old - very old house all come down to this one singular moment and you're moved - almost to the point of tears - and you and your husband stand arm in arm and gaze at it like 2 small wonderous children - and you smile at each other and think..................

We're home.
It doesn't matter what the inside looks like for the next few months - not when the outside looks like this.
We're home.
This is where we're meant to be at this time in our lives - everything happens for a reason - and this tree was
planted here - in this exact spot - so that one day I could sit beneath it with a favorite book and a glass of freshly made lemonade - with my feet up and the world resting on the shoulders of my glorious tree - instead of mine.
We're home.
Even if the bathrooms need to be gutted and the floors still need to be done - and the ceilings are a disaster and there are far too many rooms left to paint and the windows are dangerously close to falling out of their frames................
We have a tree that speaks to us
and that beckons us towards a little peace and quiet -
that tells us it's ok to take a break
that it's not going anywhere
that all it needed was time and patience ( much like the house )
and most importantly it tells us, that no, we did not make a mistake when we signed the papers.

I think of a family that planted a seed long before I was born and I am dangerously close to crying now - not frustrated tears, not tears of despair or grief or sadness - of which there have been too many since purchasing this house - not even menopausal tears - these are tears of gratitude................

I think that I shall never see 

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

I walk around the yard in wonderment at all this majestic beauty, taking photos as I go, looking up, always looking up - because after all that's the place where hope and inspiration and peace come from.

I snap one more photo of the cherry tree

and go to where I store my paintbrushes with renewed energy - with a replenished spirit - with something that closely resembles a skip in my walk  and I think how wonderful it is to be me right now - today - owner of this ramshackle house.

Thank you Tree -
I'm grateful
And will paint my next piece pink in your honor ♥

POEMS ARE MADE BY FOOLS LIKE ME
BUT ONLY GOD CAN MAKE A TREE

JOYCE KILMER......................

For finish the tree didn't bear much blossom - just enough to restore hope - but maybe at the end of the day that's all it was meant to do after all - to remind me that when things seems too big for me to handle on my own - I simply need to look up.

Have a wonderful day everyone
Take a moment to look up at some point today - past the trees if necessary.
( and give thanks )
Much love,
Moi

Sharing with !!!
Between Naps on the Porch                       Coastal Charm                       Domestically Speaking
A Stroll thru Life                                        Stone Gable                           An Extraordinary Day
Kathe with an E                                         The DIY Dreamer                  Savvy Southern Style
DIY by Design                                          Adorned from Above             Ivy & Elephants
Shabby Art Boutique                                 Uncommon Design                 Under the Table & Dreaming